Combination or key controlled latch



Aug. 17, 1954 B. J. CRAIG 2,686,418

COMBINATION 0R KEY CONTROLLED LATCH Filed Sept. 18, 1950 a ll Patented Aug. 17, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINATION OR KEY CONTROLLED LATCH Burnie J. Craig, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application September 18,, 1950, Serial No. 185,415

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a combination latch.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved vehicle door latch including novel lock means for controlling the latch on a door of an automotive vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel door latch handle assembly,

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel combined key-controlled and dial actuated tumbler controlled lock assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel push button operated latch release member and latch lock.

A further object of the invention is to provide a latch locking means wherein a push button actu-.

ated key lock member is provided and wherein a dial actuated tumbler unlocking member is mounted remote from the push button member.-

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view through the door showing an automotive vehicle with parts in plan, showing an improved latch;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on line 2-2, Fig.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 33, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation, showing the handle;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 55, Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a, sectional detail taken on line B-6, Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevation, showing some of the parts shown in Fig. 2 in modified form, and

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 6, showing the modification. v

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, the invention is shown as embodied in a door latch arranged upon the door A of a Vehicle which includes a door pillar B.

As shown, each latch includes a base plate l0, having a flange H which is provided with a slot [2 through which a bolt 13 protrudes. The bolt 13 is shown as pivotally mounted on the base plate at E4 and at its outer end supports a strike engaging roller l5.

The latches in the presentdisclosure are of the type shown in applicants copending application Serial No. 103,431, filed July 7, 1049, now Patent No. 2,659,230, granted Nov. 17, 1953.

The protruding roller l5 moves in a slot H5 in a strike member ll, arranged upon the car pillar B. As fully described in applicants prior Patent No. 2,659,230, granted Nov. 17, 1953, the roller positions.

2 moves from one end of the slot I6 towards the other end to fully engaged position, where it holds the door closed due to a catch member 20 pivotally supported at 2| upon the base l0, and which includes notched portions 22 and 23.

The bolt l3 includes a pin 24 which rests upon the notched portion 22 when the bolt is in the disengaged position. When the bolt is moved to safety latched position, the pin engages the notch 23 and when the bolt is raised to fully engaged position (see Fig. 2), the bolt engages a notched portion 25 just above the notch 23. When so engaged the bolt cannot move downwardly to disengaged position until the catch member 20 is swung about its pivot 2| to bolt released position, as will be hereinafter described. A tongue 25 on the base plate limits movement of the catch member in one direction.

One end, of a spring 25, arranged about the pivot pin [4, engages a pin 21 on the catch 20 and urges the catch 20 to bolt holdin position while the other end of the spring 26 engages a pin 28 on the bolt l3 to normally urge the bolt downwardly to disengaged position.

The bolt may be released by means of an inside remote control door handle (not shown) which is connected by a rod 3| to a rock arm 33 which is mounted on the pivot 2|. The lower end of the rock arm engages an actuating pin 34 mounted on a latch releasing member 35. The rock arm will thus move the pin 34 and the pin will move the catch 20, thus permitting the spring 26 to move the latch bolt to disengaged position as the door is opened.

In order to provide means exterior of the vehicle for releasing the catch members 20 and also to provide means for locking the release means against unwarranted operation, a carriage member 35 is provided for each catch. Each carriage member is mounted on a pivot 37 on the base I0. One end of the carriage member 35 is raised at 36 and a snap-over spring 36 is arranged between this raised portion 30 and the base 10 to hold the carriage member in either one of its two Tongues 35, struck from the base I0, limit movement of the carriage member 36.

The carriage member 36 includes a projecting end portion 38 which extends through a slot 38' in the flange l I. The end of the portion 38 supports a, roller 38".

The carriage member is similar in some respects in construction and operation to the carriage member shown in Fig. 32 of the applicants prior Patent No. 2,204,208, granted June Guide tongues 39 on the carriage member 36 slidably support the latch release member 35 previously mentioned. When the carriage member is in the position shown in Fig. 2 and the release member 35 is moved, the pin 34 will engage the tongue 40 on the catch 20 to move the catch. A tongue 4! on the carriage member limits movement of the release member 35 in one direction.

When the carriage member 36 is swung about its pivot 31, the pin 34 will be disposed opposite a slot 43' in the catch 20 so that when the release member 35 moves to releasing position, the pin 34 will move into the slot 40 without moving the catch member 20. The latch just described is fully disclosed and described in the applicants prior Patent No. 2,659,230, granted Nov. 17, 1953, mentioned above.

The carriage member 36 includes an elongated slot 46 which i aligned with a slot 4'! in the base l0, and the latch releasing member 35 is also provided with a slot 48, aligned with the slots 46 and 41. The slots 46, 41 and 48 receive one end portion of a releasing arm 49, which may be operated from the exterior of the door, as will be described.

The releasing arm is carried by an outside actuator, indicated generally at 53 (see Fig. 1). As shown, the actuator is similar to the handle assembly disclosed in Fig. 24 in the applicants Patent No. 2,450,372, granted September 28, 1948. As shown the actuator includes a body 5i, having a hand grip 52 thereon. A slip plate 52 holds the body 5I in place.

The body SI includes a bore 53 in which a push member 54 is arranged. The push member 54 includes a flanged portion 55, which normally is urged against a shoulder 56 by a spring 5?, which also engages a flange 58 on a rotatable support 59. A guide washer 68 engages the end of the flange 58 and a split spring 3! holds the arts assembled.

The push member 54 is in the nature of a lock and includes an outer barrel 62. The barrel includes holes 63, in which pins 3-; permit the push member 54 and its barrel 62 to slide axially relative to the support 59 without turning relative thereto. The support 59 carries cars 35, on which the arm 49 previously described is pivoted as at 58.

The arm 49 includes a bell crank portion 5'! which is engaged by a pin 68 on the push member. The arm 49 passes through a slot 68' inthe washer 60. The construction is such that the arm 59 is rocked by the push member when the latter moves axially. As stated, the arm 49 extends through the slots 46, 41 and 48, the slot if being of a size so that its wall is not engaged by the releasing arm 49. The slot 48 is of a size to comfortably receive the releasing arm 49 so that as the push member 54 is pushed inwardly, the arm 49 is rocked, thus moving the latch releasing member 35 to the right in Fig. 1.

This will cause the pin 3-4 on the latch releasing member 35 to engage the catch member 23, causing the catch member to be rocked, thus releasing the bolt' I3 so that the latter may be moved downwardly by the spring 26 as the door opens.

This last described action occurs when the carriage member is in the unlockedthat is, the position shown in Fig. 2. When the carriage member 36 is moved to the locked position and the releasing arm 49 is rocked to shift the latch releasing member 35, the pin 34 will move into a notch 40' in the catch member 23 and thus there will be no releasing action by movement of the latch releasing member 35.

Full movement of the arm 49 by the push member will not move the release member far enough to move the pin 34 sufiiciently to engage the rear wall of the slot so that no unlocking occurs when the carriage member is in unlocking position. However, when the remote control member 3| is pulled it will move the member 33 far enough to shift the pin 34 against the rear wall of the slot 40' and will rock the member 29 and release the latch.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the latch may be released by operating the push member 54 when the carriage member 36 is in one position and that a similar operation of the pushing member 54, when the carriage member 36 is in the other position, will not serve to open the door. Howe *er, the inside release member 3| may be operated to release the catch member and to free the bolt regardless of which position (locked or unlocked) the carriage member may happen to be in.

The. push member which carries the ears B5 and release arm 49 is adapted tobe turned by a suitable key 10 which when inserted in the lock (which forms no part of the present invention) will cause suitable pins (not shown) to be aligned, permitting the key to turn the push member 54 relative to the body 51 through an. angle in either direction from a normal position.

When the key 10 is turned from locked to unlocked position or vice versa, the releasing arm 49 will be rocked and will be swung upwardly or downwardly. The arm 49 must be in normal intermediate position when the key is removed and when in thisposition the releasing arm 89 will fit in the slot 46 as shown in Fig. 2 when the device is unlocked. The slot is shaped to permit the releasing arm to fit therein in reverse position when the latch is locked.

The body 5I supports a dial member I03 which has a finger engaging head portion 09 thereon. The dial member includes a tubular body Hill which rotates in a bore I92 in the body 5|. The bore I92 is open at its inner end to receive a closure I03. The closure includes an inner flange I04 which is disposed within an enlarged bore IGZinthebody 5|.

The closure I03 includes an outwardly flaring tubular portion I65 which has an internal flange I06 against which theouter end of a coiled spring I07 engages. The inner end of the coiled spring Ifil engages in a recess I89 in the end of a dial member I00 and normally urges the dial member to a position where a collar I69 thereon engages a shoulder I II] on the body 5 I.

The dial member I00 supports a plurality of tumblers III H2 and H3, which are provided with the usual pins I14; The tumbler IiI has a longitudinally extending groove 5 in which a tongue I I6 on the tumbler I I I slides. Thus the tumbler l I I rotates with the dial body IQI and the dial body slides axiallywithin the tumbler III. The dial body has other tongues II'ri which may move in circular rabbets l Ifi and also may move into grooves H5 in the tumblers I 12 and I 13. The tongues are arranged so that each tongue may pass into its associated groove H5 or 5 when the proper positioning has taken place and the push member I00 may be then moved inwardly, thus advancing an actuating finger member I23 into a slot I ZI (see Figs. 2, 3 and 6).

The slot IZI is disposed in a downwardly extending arm I22 which is integral with the carriage member 38. As' shown in Fig. 6 the finger I20 has camming faces I23 and I24 thereon. The camming face I24, when the member I 00' is pushed inwardly, will-looking at Fig. z engage the adjacent end wall of the slot I2I and will move this wall anti-clockwise, thus swinging the carriage 30 anti-clockwise to locked position.

When the carriage member 36 is in locked position, the cam surface I 23 will engage the opposite Wall of the slot I2I from that engaged by the cam surface I24 whereupon proper positioning of and pressure on the finger member I00 will cause the member 36 to move to unlocked position.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the carriage member-36 may be moved to locked or unlocked position by means of a key I0 which will rotate to cause the core 66 to move the arm 49 to locked or unlocked position. Further, a rod 36*, operable from within the vehicle, may move the member from locked to unlocked position. From without the vehicle the dial head I00 and tumblers III, H2 and H3 may be correctly positioned, thus permitting the dial to be pushed inwardly to cause the cam on the finger I20 to rock the arm I22 to thereby move the carriage member 36. In this last operation the finger I20 requires a quick pushing operation so that the inertia of the moving parts carries the carriage member 36 over center. When the carriage member is over center the snap-over spring 36 completes movement of the carriage member.

In Figs. 7 and 8 the modification is shown wherein parts shown similar to those previously described are designated by primed reference numerals. In the modification the dial I00 carries an actuating rod I30 which fits in a slot I2 I and serves to move the arm I22. In operating the modification the tumblers are correctly positioned and the dial is then pushed in. This moves the rod I30 into the slot I2I'. Thereafter the dial is turned and the turning movement of the dial rocks the arm I22.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a vehicle door latch which includes a chambered body, a bolt, and a bolt releasing member operable to release the bolt, gated tumblers rotatable in the chamber, a dial body mounted to move axially and rotatably in the chamber and cooperating with the gated tumblers, said gated tumblers normally preventing axial movement of the dial body, a dial for moving the dial body whereby the tumblers may be positioned with respect to one another and to the dial body so that the dial body may be moved axially, shiftable means operable to render the bolt releasing member effective or ineffective when moved to bolt releasing position to release the bolt, and means carried by the dial body and rendered operable upon axial movement of the dial after the tumblers have been correctly positioned to move the shiftable means and thereby move the bolt releasing member to a position wherein it may be actuated to release the bolt.

2. In a vehicle door latch which includes a chambered body, a bolt, a catch for the bolt and a catch releasing member operable to release the bolt, a fixed support carried by the body, a lock barrel, means holding the lock barrel against rotation relative to the support while permitting reciprocation of the lock barrel relative to the support, a head member carried by the lock barrel, key released means normally preventing relative rotation between the head member and the lock barrel, gated tumblers rotatable in the chamber, a dial body mounted to move axially and rotatably in the chamber and cooperating with the gated tumblers, said gated tumblers normally preventing axial movement of 6". the dialb'ody, a dial for movin the dial body and rotating the tumblers whereby the tumblers may be positioned with respect to one another and to the dial body so that the dial body may be moved axially, a movable carriage supporting the catch releasing member, the carriage being shiftable to move the catch releasing member to and from a position wherein it may be moved to catch releasing position, the dial body including an unlocking portion operable upon axial movement of the dial to engage and move the carriage member and the catch releasing member to a position in which the catch releasing member may be moved to catch releasing position, an.

actuating member on the head member andengaging the carriage and rotatable with the head member to shift the carriage member to move the catch releasing member to a position in which the catch releasing member may be moved to catch releasing position, and means operable to move the catch releasing member to catch releasing position.

3. In a vehicle door latch which includes a chambered body, a bolt and a bolt releasing member operable to release the bolt, a fixed support carried by the body, a lock barrel, means holding the lock barrel against rotation relative to the support while permitting reciprocation of the lock barrel relative to the support, a head member carried by the lock barrel, key released means normally preventing relative rotation between the head member and the lock barrel, gated tumblers rotatable in the chamber, a dial body mounted to move axially and rotatably in the chamber and cooperating with the gated tumblers, said gated tumblers normally preventing axial movement of the dail body, a dial member for movin the dial body and rotating the tumblers whereby the tumblers may be correctly positioned with respect to one another and to the dial body so that the dial body may be moved axially, a movable carriage supporting the bolt releasing member and shiftable to render the bolt releasing member operable to be moved to a position wherein it may be moved to catch releasing position, cam means carried by the dial body and operated by axial movement of the dial to move the carriage and place the bolt releasing member in a position in which it may be operated to bolt releasing position, the lock barrel including a push button slidable within the body, an actuating member for the bolt release member engaging the head member and engaging the carriage member and rotatable with the head member to shift the carriage member to move the bolt releasin member to a position in which the bolt releasing member may be moved to bolt releasing position, the bolt release actuating member being operable by the push button to move the catch releasing member to its catch releasing position.

4. In a vehicle door latch which includes a. chambered body, a bolt, and a bolt releasing member operable to release the bolt, a fixed support carried by the body, a lock barrel, means holding the lock barrel against rotation relative to the support while permitting reciprocation of the lock barrel relative to the support, a head member carried by the lock barrel, key released means normally preventing relative rotation between the head member and the lock barrel, gated tumblers rotatable in the chamber, a dial body mounted to move axially and rotatably in the chamber and cooperating with the gated tumblers, said gated tumblers normally preventing zaxiallmovement of the adial body, :a dial meumer or moving the diallibody :and rotating *the tum- *blers whereby the tumblers may be =pos'itioned with :respect :to one another and to the dia'l body soithat the dial Lhody may line moved axially, a movable carriage supporting the bolt releasing -member,-'the carriage being s-hiftable to move-the :bolt meleasingmember to :a :position in which the bolt :meleasing .member may :be :moved to bolt releasing :position, the dial :body including an unlocking ;portion1movable:axially within thedial :body to engage thecarriageand operated byrota- 'tionoFthe-diaLLraftertthe dialbodyihas been moved inwardlmtomovethe carriage and the .boltreleashag-member to a position in which .thebolt releasingimember may lbemoved to bolt releasing .positi0n,1the'lock'barre1 including a push button slid- 8 abre w-lthlnithe body -an'actuating member on the head mem'ber and engaging the:oarriaarge member and rotatable with cthe head member to -shiftthe carriage member and to =move the bolt releasing member to a position in which the bolt releasing member may he movedto bo'lt releasing position, the actuatingamember being operable by the push button to movethe bolt releasing member to its bolt releasing +pos'it'ron.

i-Bfierences Cited iin :the :file 0f this patent UNITED 'STA'IES PATENTS Number Name Date $885325 :Fitz Gerald Nov. :1, 1932 1987,9223 .Garlson Jan. 15, 4.935 2,129,228 .Miller Sept. 6, 1938 

